Reliable Auto DB

2017 Hyundai Sonata reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata holds 764 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 35 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sonata years here — over the median of the other years, which is 22. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Turn signal, Latch, and Inflator.

2012 Hyundai Sonata
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

764

Per year

35

Recalls

3

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (384 of 764), then Steering (173) and Electrical system (65). Those filings include 28 that report a crash, 11 that report a fire, 9 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Sonata has 723 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2018 has 373 complaints, 32 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Hyundai Sonata. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall exterior lighting, turn signal 2021-09-24 · NHTSA campaign 21V749000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.
Remedy Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 210.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, trunk lid, latch 2021-08-06 · NHTSA campaign 21V619000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Sonata, 2016-2018 Sonata Hybrid, 2018-2020 Accent, and 2016-2017 Azera vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Remedy Dealers will replace the trunk latch base, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 208.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-12-30 · NHTSA campaign 16V956000
Summary Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2017 Hyundai Elantra vehicles manufactured April 15, 2016, to September 13, 2016, and Sonata vehicles manufactured May 27, 2016 to September 16, 2016. In these vehicles, the end seal for the driver's frontal air bag inflator may not have been properly installed, possibly resulting in reduced inflation of the frontal air bag in the event of a crash.
Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 156.

Complaints by component (764 total)

Engine
384
Steering
173
Electrical system
65
Powertrain
55
Structure
37
Fuel and propulsion system
33
Air bags
22
Exterior lighting
20
Service brakes
20
Speed control
20
Engine and engine cooling
18
Latches, locks, and linkages
17
Seat belts
8
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
Suspension
4
Tires
3
Wheels
3
Forward collision avoidance
2
Hydraulic brakes
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Lane departure
1
Seats
1
Traction control
1
Visibility
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

28

Fire-flagged

11

Injury reports

9

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

22016222017232018592019652020882021131202212220231132024922025472026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I am reporting an unaddressed, critical safety defect involving the Theta II engine in my 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The engine has developed a severe internal metallic knocking noise consistent with connecting rod bearing…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-22
  • "I was driving down the road when my sunroof glass completely ripped away from the top and flew off. The glass is gone but the frame is still there but bent. I took it to a auto glass repair shop that stated "sunroof…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-16
  • "The vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic internal mechanical engine failure out of nowhere without any warning lights or previous symptoms. An inspection of the engine cylinder revealed a physical hole blown through…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-04
  • "We had a recall done, Campaign 92C, and every since then the car drives horrible. It's worse when cool, it sputters, and hesitates especially when excellerating. Even after warmed up it seems to slam in and out of gear…"
    Engine · filed 2026-07-26
  • "I was driving and all of a sudden the traction lights turned on and the sterring wheel is hard to turn. Almost go in a car accident. The windows just stopped working and the brakes light constantly keep getting burned…"
    Steering, Electrical system, Seats · filed 2026-07-25

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Hyundai Sonata 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid 4 DR FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Sonata 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 31 26 MPG $2500
Sonata 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (7-speed) Front-wheel drive 28 36 31 MPG $2100
Sonata 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 36 29 MPG $2250
Sonata hybrid 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 38 43 40 MPG $1600
Sonata hybrid SE 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 39 45 42 MPG $1550
Sonata Limited 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 30 24 MPG $2700
Sonata Plug-in hybrid 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 38 40 39 MPG / 590 mi range $1650
Sonata Sport Limited 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 35 28 MPG $2300

Specs and fitment

7th generation (LF), 2012–2019
Body styles Sedan
Oil 5W-20 or 0W-20 (2.4L and 2.0L turbo per manual) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 205/65R16 to 245/45R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Owner complaints for early years in this span (especially 2013) concentrate on the engine. Safety recall 17V-226 covers certain 2013-2014 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles: machining errors during engine manufacturing may cause premature bearing wear that can seize the engine; dealers inspect and replace the short block as needed. Safety recall 22V-312 (replacing 20V-121) covers certain 2013-2014 Sonatas whose low-pressure fuel hose between the low-pressure and direct-injection pumps may crack from engine-bay heat and leak fuel; dealers replace that hose. Safety recall 18V-934 covers certain 2011-2014 Sonatas previously remedied under 15V-568 or 17V-226 whose high-pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged or mis-torqued during engine replacement and can leak; dealers inspect and replace the pipe as needed. Safety recall 16V-956 covers a small build of 2017 Sonatas (and Elantras) whose driver frontal air-bag inflator end seal may be missing; dealers replace the driver frontal air-bag module.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Hyundai Sonata Next year 2018 Hyundai Sonata See every Hyundai Sonata model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Hyundai Sonata reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata holds 764 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 35 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sonata years here — over the median of the other years, which is 22. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Turn signal, Latch, and Inflator.

What are common problems with a 2017 Hyundai Sonata?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (384 of 764), then Steering (173) and Electrical system (65). Those filings include 28 that report a crash, 11 that report a fire, 9 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2017 Hyundai Sonata more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Sonata has 723 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2018 has 373 complaints, 32 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2018.

Has the 2017 Hyundai Sonata been recalled?

The 2017 Hyundai Sonata has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata?

Owners have filed 764 complaints about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Hyundai Sonata get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Hyundai Sonata is 32.4 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Sonata take?

Viscosity and capacity depend on engine and model year; use the generation specs here and confirm in the owner’s manual.

Which Sonata years had the engine bearing safety recall?

Safety recall 17V-226 covers certain 2013-2014 Sonatas (and Santa Fe Sport) for premature engine bearing wear; dealers inspect and replace the short block as needed.